Bulb socket having integral means for attachment to an apertured panel



Jan. 17, 1956 R. M. HELLER 2,731,612

BULB SOCKET HAVING INTEGRAL MEANS FOR ATTACHMENT TO AN APERTURED PANEL Filed Sept. 21, 1953 IN V EN TOR.

ROBERT HELLER ATTORNEYS United States Patent i BULB SOCKET HAVING INTEGRAL MEANS FOR ATTACHMENT TOAN APERTURED PANEL Robert M. Heller, Birmingham, Mich.

Application September 21, 1953, Serial No. 381,216

2 Claims. (Cl. 338-128) The present invention relates to an integral bulb socket designed to be detachably mounted in a panel opening.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bulb socket designed to engage and support a conventional automobile type lamp and to serve as a detachable means for mounting the lamp in a panel opening.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a socket of the character described characterized by its simplicity, the economy with which it may be produced, and the facility with which it may be assembled with a lamp and inserted in a panel opening.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lamp socket of generally elongated tubular form provided with a pair of diametrically opposed elongated slots extending substantially to the rear end of the socket to separate the major portion of the socket into two arms movable toward and away from each other.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a construction as defined in the preceding paragraph in which the forward ends of the arms are constructed with portions adapted to engage and interlock in and around a panel opening and in which intermediate portions of the arms are shaped to cooperate with the laterally extending pins provided on conventional automotive type lamp bulbs.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a construction as described above provided with an external sealing coating of a yieldable or resilient plastic material which is adapted to seal the slots provided in the socket and to cooperate in the mounted assembly to prevent the entrance of foreign matter into the light unit.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a socket constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the socket illustrated in Figure 1 with the sealing coating sectioned diametrically to expose the socket proper.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the socket assembly showing its association with a lamp bulb.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in section, illustrating the manner in which the socket is retained in a panel part.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a panel having a bulb receiving opening.

Referring now to the drawings the lamp socket is designed for association with a panel such for example as the instrument panel of an automotive vehicle. The panel 10 is provided with a circular opening in which the lamp socket is mounted to support a lamp bulb in operative position.

The socket proper comprises an elongated unitary sheet metal member 14 of circular cross-section. As best illustrated in Figure 3, the socket comprises a generally cylindrical base portion 16 having an inwardly extending flange 18 at its rearward end. The front or forward end of 2,731,612 Patented Jan. 17, 1956 the socket 14 is shaped outwardly as indicated at 20, and thence inwardly as indicated at 22 to provide an abutment flange 24 adapted to engage at one side of the panel 10 surrounding the opening 12 therein. Forwardly of the flange 24 the socket includes an outwardly flared conical portion 26 adapted to cooperate with the edge of the panel opening 12 to retain the socket therein. Forwardly of the portion 26 the socket is inwardly tapered as indicated at 28. At diametrically opposite sides of the socket 14 there are provided elongated slots 30 which extend throughout the major portion of the length of the socket from the open or front end thereof. It will be apparent that the provision of the two slots 30 provides a pair of transversely arcuate arms 32. Due to the arcuate crosssection of these arms, they are substantially rigid. How ever, due to the depth of the slot and the fact that the elongated slots result in equally elongated arms 32, the arms 32 are substantially bodily movable toward and away from each other.

intermediate the ends of the arms 32 there are provided aligned circumferential inwardly concave channels 34.

The entire outer surface of the socket 314 is provided with a coating 36 of a suitable resilient material such for example as a polyvinyl chloride. This coating is prefer ably provided by a dipping operation and is caused to cover the entire rear portion of the socket and includes a rearwardly extending extension 40 adapted to surround the electrical conductor connected to the usual spring contact in the socket and to provide sealing engagement therewith. The forward end of the coating 36, as best illustrated in Figure 2, extends slightly forwardly of the flange 24 and is forwardly concave to provide a peripheral knife-like edge 42 to facilitate sealing engagement with the panel 1%. The manner in which the portion 42 of the coating 36 engages the panel 18 is best illustrated in Figure 4.

The improved socket is intended for use with a conventional automotive type lamp bulb such as illustrated at 4 -5 in Figure 4. Bulbs of this type have bases 46 provided with a pair of diametrically outwardly extending pins 43, these pins normally being engaged in J-slots provided in the bulb sockets. In the present case however, the inwardly concave channels 34 are designed for receiving the pins 48 in the manner best illustrated in Figure 4. Due to the fact that the arms 32 are outwardly yieldable the socket may be pressed into the assembled position shown in Figure 4 by axial movement. Alternatively, the pins 48 may be aligned with the slots 30 and pressed down into registration with the channels 34 and thereafter turned to the position illustrated in Figure 4. The arms 32. of the socket are sufiiciently resilient to retain the bulb base 45 assembled therewith and the assembly of the socket and bulb may be inserted into the opening 12 in the panel 1i) merely by pressing the socket and bulb forwardly through the opening. This results in the inclined arcuate port ons 28 of the arms 32 cammingly engaging the edges of the opening 12 and forcing the arms firmly inwardly against the base 46 of the bulb. In finally assembled position, the high point defined by the intersection between the socket portions 26 and 28 passes slightly beyond the opposite surface of the panel 10, as best illustrated in Figure 4, and the socket and bulb are firmly assembled together and firmly mounted within the opening in the panel. The forward lip portion of the coating 36 provides an etficient seal between the panel opening and the socket, and also tends to retain the socket in position without vibration or rattling.

The parts are so designed that in the assembled relationship illustrated in Figure 4, the arms are firmly pressed inwardly against the outer surface of the lamp base 46 so as to establish excellent electrical contact therewith. At the same time the outer ends of the arms are caused to engage firmly in the opening12 of the 1 panel.

It will of course be appreciated that the socket is pro vided with an electrical contactor of conventional type adapted to supply current to the end contact50 of the lamp bulb, the circuit being completed through the outer shell of the base 46 to the socket and thence to ground through the panel part 10 as conventional in automotive lighting.

It will be observed that the single socket element 14 comprises both a bulb receiving socket and also means for mounting the socket and bulb assembly in an opening in the panel. be economically produced by drawing, spinning and/or stamping in a most economical manner with the result that a highly efficient and simple mountable bulb socket is produced from a single piece of metal.

The coating 36 provides a seal for the longitudinally extending slots 30 and also provides a seal around the conductor which leads to the interior of the socket, as well as providing means for sealing the space between the opening 12 and the socket. In addition, the resilient coating cooperates in holding the socket in assembled relation in the opening without the possibility of vibration or rattling thereof.

The drawings and the foregoing specification constitute a description of the improved integral bulb socket in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A bulb socket for use with a bulb of the type having radially extending pins on its base and adapted to be mounted in an opening in a panel, said socket comprising a one-piece metal body having an annular rear endportion provided with an opening for an'electrical conductor The metallic socket element 14 may and an integral elongated generally cylindrical portion extending forwardly from said annular portion and open at its forward end for the reception of the base of a bulb, the generally cylindrical portion of the body having elongated slots extending rearwardly from its front edge for the major portion of the length of said generally cylindrical portion and dividing the generally cylindrical portion of said body into a plurality of arms which due to their arcuate' cross-section are substantially rigid but which are sufiiciently outwardly yieldable to receive and resiliently retain the base of a bulb therein, said arms intermediate their ends being provided at their inner sides with circumferentially aligned inwardly concave channels extending completely across said arms for the reception of the pins on the base of a bulb mounted in said socket, the forward ends of said arms having panelengaging mounting portions including substantially rigid forwardly and inwardly inclined camming portions, said camming portions and the generally cylindrical portion of said body being dimensioned with respect to the panel opening and bulb base respectively was to press said arms firmly against the bulb base to insure good electrical contact upon insertion of said socket with a bulb therein in the panel opening. 7

2. A socket as defined in claim 1 in which said channels are located approximately midway between the ends Of'said arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,700,538 Grant et al. -'Jan. 29, 1929 2,208,437 Stearns July 16, 1940 2,248,399 Watts July 8, 1941 2,236,496 Beggs 2.. Apr. 1, 1941 2,606,227 Clayton Aug. 5, 1952 2,668,281 Clayton et al. Feb. 2, 1954 2,704,833 Heller Mar. 22, 1955 

